Harlee Lassiter was still a teenager when a judge offered him the choice of going to jail or enlisting in the Marines. Harlee chose the latter, ending up in command of a platoon at Chosin Reservoir as the highest ranking surviving soldier at age eighteen. After the war, he went to work for the Los Angeles Police Department, often talking with a young officer who scribbled stories on a tablet during his lunch break. The officer was Joseph Wambaugh, and they developed a lifelong friendship.

Harlee reached the top of his law enforcement career as the chief of police in a small Colorado town.  After retirement he trained thoroughbreds, winning 333 races and a part in the movie, Seabiscuit. He was a prolific writer of short stories, which he read to our critique group. He didn’t want or need much critiquing. His stories were just about perfect. If one of us wrote anything about guns, he’d tell us what we got wrong, from the make to the specs to the sound when fired. Tough but gentle, I saw him almost lose it one time, when he read a story about having to put down a noble and beloved stallion. Harlee died in September, 2014.

When the Diamond Valley Writers Guild was formed in January, we made him an honorary member. His wife has given us permission to publish his stories. We’re including the following one so you can get a sense of the Harlee Lassiter we knew.